


Lucy Brand

by The_Lights_Dance_On



Series: Of Psychopaths [6]
Category: No Fandom
Genre: Assassination, Assassination Attempt(s), Assassination Plot(s), Assassins & Hitmen, Business, Businessmen, Dysfunctional Family, Dysfunctional Relationships, Marriage, Murder, Murderers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 05:35:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21441058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lights_Dance_On/pseuds/The_Lights_Dance_On
Summary: Thank you for reading!I would really appreciate it if you did this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GQFXC as I wrote this story as part of my EPQ project, and it's based on response to psychopathic characters in literature. It shouldn't take more than two minutes and would really help me out!
Series: Of Psychopaths [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540624
Comments: 2





	Lucy Brand

‘Are you _sure_ about this, Leonard?’

‘Perfectly sure, and I’ll thank you to keep your complaints for later, he’ll be arriving any moment–‘

‘Later might be a little too late,’ the other voice said darkly. ‘If you catch my drift.’

Jaspa chanced a glance through the window, recognising the dark-haired woman at once. He considered researching potential employers a necessary precaution. Alicia Brand: upon marrying Leonard, she had resumed partial responsibility of his company, and was by all accounts the brains of it.

‘Nonsense, Lissy, I’ve done my research on this fellow-‘ 

Jaspa smiled. Perhaps that was what Leonard thought, but he couldn’t have done anything more than scratch the surface. He had inherited the company from his father, but apparently not the old man’s shrewdness or suspicion. His marriage had been the first clever decision following a series of rather poor ones, which was perhaps why, in terms of actual work, Alicia kept Leonard from pulling his weight. He wondered whether Leonard would be able to persuade his wife to take up Jaspa’s services; probably not. That didn’t matter much: he was used to customers getting cold feet.

‘-and he’s a professional.’

‘How can one be a professional when your occupation itself is illegal?’ Alicia was saying now, in a very haughty tone of voice. ‘I think this is a very foolish plan, Leonard. I don’t want a part of it.’

‘What I meant is that he won’t just do – _it_ – straight away.’

‘I don’t see why we’re paying him so much, then,’ she said crisply. She didn’t sound like he was joking around. Jaspa prepared to negotiate on price. 

‘Well really, Lissy, I don’t know how else you expect to deal with the – problem – if not like this.’ 

Clients liked to use the word problem. Difficulty, obstacle, issue. Anything but person. Anything but victim.

Personally, he preferred to use the more accurate terminology. It was counterproductive, and less fun, to dehumanise the humans he was being employed to put a bullet through.

‘There are other ways,’ Alicia – who Jaspa was beginning to think of in his head as Lissy – snapped. He tried to shake the nickname out of his head. He didn’t think she’d take kindly to it out of his mouth. 

‘More expensive ways.’

‘I’m not sure you’re right, with what he’s asking,’ said Alicia. ‘That amount is beyond insolent. Especially considering that he’s late.’

Considering that his cue, Jaspa rapped smartly on the door. It was Alicia that opened it: now that he was here, Leonard seemed to rapidly consider all that his wife had said in a single moment. His skin had gone almost painfully pasty beneath the tan. 

Perhaps it was his appearance. He knew that some people in his profession prided themselves on blending in with the general public. Jaspa was too skilled to bother with that. 

‘Alicia and Leonard Brand?’

Leonard scowled. Jaspa supposed he wasn’t used to being addressed after his wife.

‘What can I help you with?’ he asked, flashing his most charming smile. He didn’t think it helped. 

‘I think nothing,’ said Alicia coldly. Maybe the purple hair had made up her mind for her. ‘You’re welcome to pursue this if you wish, Leonard. I want no part in it.’ 

Jaspa shrugged as she left. That would just make this whole thing easier. 

And potentially more fun. 

He rocketed through the traffic to the music of several loud horns. He had a photo: Lucy Brand, blonde and dark-eyed and with something of Leonard’s weak chin present in her face. Her eyes had more of Alicia’s sharp cunning in them, though. Jaspa could only imagine why Leonard was so desperate to have his sister dead. 

The flat reeked of expense, with a security system that Jaspa thought breaking into would be more trouble than it was worth. It was fine. He had beaten her home.

The first death of the night was Alicia Brand.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I would really appreciate it if you did this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GQFXC as I wrote this story as part of my EPQ project, and it's based on response to psychopathic characters in literature. It shouldn't take more than two minutes and would really help me out!


End file.
